Grand Rapids, Michigan - The UAW is in more hot water following its recent failure to unionize the Volkswagen auto plant in Tennessee. Veteran Labor Activist Patricia Meyer and more than 150 auto workers have filed suit against the International UAW because of its failure and refusal to represent and advocate for their interests, despite demanding and collecting union dues from these workers.

Most of the workers in question had been employees hired-on as “ACH” workers. ACH stands for Automotive Component Holdings. These workers were denied seniority, health care benefits, vacation-time, bonuses, and were even paid at lower wages. The workers were, for all intents and purposes, Ford workers. These workers were also UAW dues-paying members. But, these ACH workers were lied-to by both their Union, and by Ford.

ACH workers have been exposed to a litany of abuses. Some workers were forced, by ACH, to sign-with with other companies that would never make them Ford workers. Almost all workers were denied the right to have their grievances heard and some workers, with excellent work-records, were fired at the whim of management [with the UAW's approval].

Additionally, the UAW allowed violations of closed-shop agreements to occur and also forbade ACH workers to hold Union management positions within the plants. The UAW also acquiesced when Ford made several demands that harmed the interests of workers.

Initially, ACH workers at an automotive plant in Saline, Michigan contacted Ms. Meyer for assistance. After the Saline ACH workers had exhausted their patience and administrative options with attempting to get the UAW to pay attention to their problems, the workers finally turned to Ms. Meyer because of her reputation and experience advocating for auto workers.

While Saline is no longer a Ford plant, many former ACH workers still remain working at the plant under the new corporate owners, French company Faurecia. However, the remaining ACH workers were informed, through the UAW, that they would not receive unemployment benefits if they resigned and refused to work for Faurecia, the new corporate owner of the plant. While Faurecia violated the Union workers’ rights, it is not a party to this lawsuit.

“We are not Union busters,” says Meyer. “We are fighting for the little guy, which is something the UAW cannot say.” Ms. Meyer has been an advocate on behalf of workers at all three major automakers – GM, Ford, and Chrysler, pertaining to abuses of the companies and the policing of unions. This is the first lawsuit against any Union filed with Ms. Pat Meyer’s help and the help of her advocacy firm, LAWS. L.A.W.S. stands for Labor Advocates Union Solutions.

Ms. Meyer has written multiple books on the subject of the damage done to America and the middle and working classes by corporate interests run amok. Ms. Meyer sees the United Auto Workers as the primary bad actor in the ACH’s workers woes. The ACH Workers who have joined the lawsuit are among those who have lost all faith that they will ever get what they were promised, or that the UAW would lift a finger to fulfill its legal obligations under the contracts.

Originally, the lawsuit involved Ford, as well as some of the sub-corporations that Ford established, such as Visteon and ACH. But, the ACH workers largely agreed that, more than anyone else, the UAW was responsible for what has happened because the ACH workers paid the UAW union dues specifically so that The UAW would look-out for the workers’ interests. But, the UAW made little to no attempt to do so.

While the ACH workers are not happy with Ford, they expected no better from a corporation than to see a corporation continually attempt to minimize labor costs and maximize labor output. The UAW, under the direction of Walter Reuther, would have combated these kinds of abuses, yet now does nothing about them. The UAW completely failed these loyal, hard-working, dues-paying members.

Critics of the UAW even contend that the UAW’s general conduct and reputation could have been a factor in Michigan becoming a right-to-work state, a major downgrade of employee rights throughout Michigan and in other places. In years past, Michigan would have been up in arms over the Governor signing such a bill. The Unions, most of all the UAW, have been doing so little on behalf of their membership that many people, rightly or wrongly, see the UAW as part of the problem. Some critics contend that the UAW’s failure in Tennessee could be traced, at least in part, to the workers’ skepticism that they would benefit from paying dues to the UAW.

The UAW Locals are not parties to this lawsuit, says Ms. Meyer. The aim of this action, beyond getting restitution for the ACH workers, is to reform the UAW and to stop its behavior of acting as a Company Union, and to return the UAW to advocating for its workers, and not for the Big Three Automakers.

In June 2014, UAW membership will be asked to ratify a 25% dues-increase across-the- board for all UAW members. This dues-increase would also include the ACH workers. Also affected by the increase in union dues, are the UAW retirees. These UAW retirees have no vote nor say on what happens to them, unfortunately, but are now being asked to raise their monthly dues. Many union members and union retirees do not want this rate increase because of the lack of fair and adequate representation by the UAW International.

A press conference is being scheduled and will be held in the near future.

To learn more about the case or other matters, please contact us at The Law Office of Jonathan D. Browning, P.L.L.C. at (616) 458 – 4670.